Current Affairs Preparation | UPSC Mains Answer Writing: Practice PDF Download

• As mentioned in Essay and GS chapters, there’s no one best way to prepare for this exam. The rest of the chapter merely reflects my learnings; pick and choose what works for you and what you are convinced about. 
• For instance, I read the newspaper meticulously everyday, but I never made any hand-written notes from it because I felt it was a waste of precious time. I found a better alternative in making notes online (more on this later). 
• But if you are used to making effective hand-written notes from newspapers in limited time, don’t change it just for the sake of this book.
• In this chapter, I list out 5 principles that helped me cover news comprehensively and score well in GS-1 (123 marks), GS-2 (123 marks), and GS-3 (136 marks).

PRINCIPLE 1: LIMIT YOUR SOURCES

A fundamental problem with Current affairs is the deluge of reading material. In my earlier attempts, I bought every current affairs material out of whim, in the delusional hope that more material meant more marks. My room used to be filled with CSR, Pratiyogita Darpan, EPW, Chronicle, Yojana and every random magazine you can name of. I’d buy them out of excitement, keep them safely on my desk, never to reopen them for lack of time. I learned the hard way that running after too much material is counter-productive. Choose quality over quantity.

My Current Affair sources:

• The Hindu (One English Daily)
• Indian Express 'Explained Section' on their website (for comprehensive understanding of an issue)
• One daily news compilation by any reputed institute
• One monthly news compilation by any reputed institute
• All India Radio— Spotlight and discussion
• Misc (RSTV’s Big Picture, India’s World, and PRS India)
• The Internet

Some aspirants spend an indefinite amount of time researching the ‘best website’ and the ‘best coaching material’ website for current affairs and invest less time actually reading them. Others have this perfectionist mindset that forces them to make copious notes and compilations from tons of material available in the market. Desist from this. Do your research for a day, decide on your sources, and stick to them. That will be sufficient.

PRINCIPLE 2: LIMIT YOUR TIME

The problem with most aspirants is not that they neglect newspapers, but they overplay their importance. Some read newspapers for almost 3-4 hours a day, leaving themselves with no time to read other subjects.

Newspapers are important, but not to the extent that you invest a disproportionate amount of time in reading them. In my experience, one should finish reading a day’s current affairs ideally under 2 hours. 3-4 hours for everyday current affairs is an overkill.

My current affairs preparation consisted of

• Newspaper reading (30-45 min, no note making)— everyday
• Online reading of the daily news compilation (choose any institute material for this)— every day (45 min, highlighting and capturing the material on Evernote)
• A revision of last week’s issues, catching up on All India Radio (selectively), and internet research on select issues — weekends
• Referring to a monthly news compilation (choose any institute material for this) — at the end of the month

PRINCIPLE 3: FOCUS ON ISSUES, NOT NEWS

What’s the difference? News talks about an incident. Issues focus on ideas. Let me give you a couple of examples.

• The Prime Minister talking about the $5 trillion economy is news. Merely focusing on the speech or what’s reported in the newspapers isn’t enough. You must research and understand the larger issue: Why the number 5 trillion? What sectors to focus on and what steps should the government take? How should we rapidly increase the pace of investment? What are the impediments facing the economy? How can we overcome them to realise the 5 trillion goal by 2024? etc.
• The International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) verdict on Kulbhushan Jadhav is news. But the larger issue is about bilateral relation between India and Pakistan, ICJ— its structure and mandate, who are its subjects, how are the cases referred to the court, India’s role in global fora etc.,

So to understand any current issue, I used to follow the following framework:

• Reason— Why is it in the news? (This is usually reported in the newspapers)
• Background Knowledge— (Data, facts, authentic reports etc.)
• Current Status— What has the government done or not done so far?
• Both sides of the issue— Pros and Cons/ Opportunities and challenges
• Opinion/ Suggestions/ Way forward— What must we do about it?

Many times, coaching material covers issues comprehensively. If it doesn’t, use the internet to find quality content and make online notes so that you have the complete understanding of each issue.

PRINCIPLE 4: LEARN TO MAKE NOTES ONLINE

• I never made any hand-written notes for current affairs. Online notes saved me a lot of time. I used to read the papers, and then use Evernote to capture and highlight the daily news compilations put out by coaching institutes.
• But then, a follow-up question is frequently asked. Can I skip the newspaper altogether and just read these compilations? I wouldn’t suggest it because:
  • Reading the newspaper gives a good summary of what’s happening, and it becomes that much easier to read the daily compilation later. Since you read it twice, you tend to retain it longer.
  • Presumably, the examiner will set current affairs questions from the newspapers. So recurring issues in newspapers will tell us how weighty an issue is and what we must focus on.
  • Anecdotes and examples for essay, ethics and interview can be sourced only from reading the newspaper.
  • Consistent reading of an English daily subconsciously improves your vocabulary and writing.

Besides, download Evernote Web Clipper extension from the Chrome web-store. This tool is very useful in clipping online articles. Highlight the important points on the spot and organise them neatly into your Evernote.

PRINCIPLE 5: READ. REVISE. EXECUTE.

• The aforementioned methods will ensure that you capture 90-95% of current affairs in a manner relevant to this exam. But, current affairs is a continuous topic that keeps piling up by the day. The best way to retain the content is through revising them on a regular basis and using them in the answers you write during daily practice or test series. Even merely mentioning the relevant current affairs issue in a sentence or two will add tremendous value to your answers.
• Besides, it’s best to revise current affairs immediately after you read the concerned static part of a paper. For example, if you are preparing for a GS-2 mock test, right after you finish the static part, revise that relevant current affair segment. This will help you subconsciously link the static topic with what’s actually happening in the real world and helps you write a good answer when you take the test.
• Even after reading and revising, you may not be able to recollect all the current affair material in the exam hall. That’s okay. No one really can. Like perfect notes, perfect answers are a myth. Your job must be to write the best answer you can in the limited time you have. Trust your instincts and have that unflinching self belief. You will outperform your own expectations.